An Empty Promise
by RougedSilver
Summary: Germany's confessed his love for Italy, but Italy's in love with somebody else.  Deeply depressed by this, Germany becomes solemn and unreachable.  As Italy's guilt turns into deeper feelings, can he continue to keep the promise he made Holy Rome?
1. Rejected

"_Germany? Say something...please Germany!" _

_I found my hands instantly wrapped around his waist, pulling him into a tight, affectionate hug. True, my constant hugs with Germany were only commonplace by now, and usually he would try and fight me off, but he offered no struggle or rejection to my grasp. My thoughts were pounding in my head, and something was tearing at my chest. What was this? Why did being ignored by Germany hurt this much? He'd ignored me plenty of times before in the past, and it never had hurt. Well, not this bad anyways. The pain only grew as seconds turned into minutes, and my already soaked face flooded with new tears. It grasped me in tendrils and left my form shaking. Despite the discomfort, I kept holding on to him until I heard him gasp for breath and shiver._

_The blonde in my arms had seemed to snap out of a trance; his stoic form crumbled and left him shocked by our embrace. I looked up at him, as his pale face towered above my own. I immediately let go, afraid Germany would be angry with the stunt._

"_Germany...please, say something?" I begged, glancing into his deep blue eyes._

_He trembled slightly, staring at me with vacant eyes. I hated it. I hated when his eyes showed no trace of emotion, nothing as he stared back at me. My eyes wandered to his hands: flowers in one, the ring in the other. I suddenly remembered the events of the moments before. Germany has offered me the flowers and the ring. He confuses me to the point of complete nonsense. Why would he offer me such gifts? I'll admit, I'm not the brightest person ever, but I really do have enough maturity in me to abandon my carefree, fun-loving attitude in times of importance. Most people assume that I'm stupid and weak just because of my impulsiveness and my short attention span, not to mention my stupid ideas and constant surrendering. I'm deeper than anyone could ever guess by my cover. I can be, at least._

_Snapping out of thought, I brought my eyes back up to meet Germany's. Emotion had overtaken him, but the kind I couldn't tell. Then, his lips parted, and he spoke._

"_Italy..."_

_That was it, but it was more than enough for me. _

"_Germany...what's wrong? Please tell me."_

_Germany shuffled in place for a moment then looked at his hands. "Italy," he repeated, softer than he'd said it before. He had a hard look of realization on his face. "We're not on the same page with this, are we?" _

"_What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely confused with him._

"_Italy...Italy...I love you."_

_My hearted almost stopped, and my breathing became shallow. I even felt my eyes widen in shock. Had he said what I'd thought he'd said? I don't know, my ears could easily be deceiving me. It wouldn't be a new thing if they were. No, he's said it, I'm positive he did. Everything he'd done now made sense. The ring, the flowers. The way he'd been treated me...everything was crystal clear. My stomach turned inside of me, and I felt like throwing up. It wasn't that Germany disgusted me, in fact quite the opposite, but just the thought he'd feel that way towards me. Truth is, and I would never deny it, I'd always carried a small spark for the pale blonde. But, I could never truly feel the same way._

_I love somebody else._

_I told him I'd wait for him, no matter how long it took. And even Germany, whom I've harbored feelings for for quite a while, could make me break my promise to him._

"_Germany, I...I...that's really sweet of you, really." I've never been good with words, and my awkward way of dealing with situations doesn't ever work out well. I just didn't know what to say. "But I'm waiting for someone else. I'm...I'm sorry, Germany. Please, can we be friends?" _

_I saw Germany's face lose every ounce of color it had left, and his eyes seemed to stare into the distance. Was this his strategy of facing my rejection? I hated it when he was like this...I hated seeing him in anguish. But it would be even worse if I'd accepted his offer. It would be a completely empty promise between him and myself. No matter how much it pained me to see him in pain, no matter how much I already loved him, or how much I could love him, I could never love him more than the one who had already stolen my heart._

_German's lips opened slightly, and for a moment I thought he was going to speak, but they instead closed again and his eyes drifted down to my feet. Then, he turned away and began to walk away. My heart sunk as I watched him slowly disappear into the horizon._

_What had I done?_

That's how it started. It's been two days since Germany and I have talked or exchanged a glance at all. Ever since I'd rejected him, he's been boarded up in his tiny room, wasting the days away in his bed. I had passed it yesterday, and his door was cracked enough to allow me to spy on him. All I could make out was his catatonic figure, staring blankly at the ceiling. Was this his way of dealing with his problems? Isolating himself and killing time? Watching him like this is killing me inside.

It was very early in the morning, and I'd made my way to the kitchen in order to quench the burning desire for food my stomach harbored. I've been living with Germany for quite some time now. You know, scratch that. I don't exactly live here, but I spend just about all of my days here that I consider it my home. And my influence on our dining was obvious: bags of pasta were scattered in the cupboards, and there was cold pizza left from yesterday's dinner in the fridge. Deciding I had no desire to cook, I went to grab a slice of the leftover pizza, realizing only two slices had been eaten. Guilt struck me as it came to my mind that Germany hadn't eaten for two days. I hadn't offered him any yesterday, as I was too afraid to face him this early in his depression. Sympathy and remorse flooded over me, even though it was Germany's choice not to eat. I couldn't let him starve. I heated the pizza up and wrapped it up, then navigated to Germany's room. For a moment, I stood silent at the door, staring at it profusely. Mustering up all the courage I could find, along with putting on a happy façade, I knocked on the door and offered a friendly greeting. "Germany! Oh Germany! Are you hungry, Germany?"

Although my voice sounded cheerful, inside it ached. Was pretending there was nothing different between us a smart idea? Pushing the though aside, I waited for an answer, and hopefully permission to enter. In truth, I really wanted to just see his face, just to assure myself that he was okay. Although, I know he isn't. But I'd even take false reassurance at this point.

I pushed my ear against the door, hearing Germany's voice grumbling. "Go away." he finally managed.

Denied, just as I had anticipated. My voice softened, and it lost its cheery manner. "Germany, please." It seems like I've been begging him for a lot lately, but the more he ignored and kept me at a distance, the more persistent I became in breaking down his barriers. "You need to eat. Please?"

There was a cold, desolate silence between us for the longest time. I was about ready to admit my defeat and dispose of the pizza, but instead I heard another groan noise come from inside Germany's room. "Fine, come in."

A smile played on my lips, as Germany's answer pleased me. Almost forgetting the situation and circumstances at hand, my face brightened up as I brought the pizza in for him. "Aha! Germany, there you are!" I pranced over to his bedside, taking in the contents of my view. His blankets were pulled up to his nose, covering the bottom half of his bridge. His normally gelled hair was thick and unkempt, and his deep blue eyes were averted in the opposite direct. Was he purposely avoiding my gaze? There was a strong possibility.

"Here I am..." he answered, still insisting on avoiding all eye contact with me. I saw the shape of his moving lips underneath the thin blanket which covered his hidden form. I can even now see the outline of his features easily. I take my hand and move the cover from over his mouth. As Germany knows very well by now, I'm very forward in my actions and have issues with respecting others' personal space. As expected, Germany was startled by this and struggled to regain the sheet.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, pulling the blanket back over himself. "I'm using that."

"But you need to eat!" I insisted, smiling slightly. It grew hard to keep that smile on my face as Germany's hate struck eyes finally looked at me. However, only seconds after he looked at me, Germany sighed and closed his eyes.

"Put it over there," he said, looking in the direction of the dresser across from his bed.

I nodded and fulfilled his request. "Okay, Germany. Promise me you'll eat it?" I inquired.

"I'm not hungry." He answered quickly. Almost as if on cue, I heard the faint growl of his stomach, alerting its host body that it needed to be filled.

"Liar!" I accused, a small amount tears swelling in my eyes. "Don't lie to me, Germany! You're starving yourself away in here! Please, eat!" I don't know why, but that shallow lie had cut into me so deep, my body felt numb. Why did this sadden me so much? Why did I have to care?

Germany seemed to now be alert of my concern, and lifted himself just a little above his blanket. "Italy, don't cry..." He reached out a hand to me, and despite my want to pull away, I let him place it on my arm and take a loose grasp around it. "I'll eat, okay?"

I'm even more confused now. Wasn't Germany just angry with me? Wasn't he just ignoring me and telling me to leave him alone? Why was he now showing me such sympathy? Had something come over him? "Alright," I managed, fighting back the tears that were still coming. "Please eat, okay? I have to go for now...I'll be back later, alright?" I didn't wait for an answer. Honestly, I just wanted out of there so I could hopefully maintain a clear thought for once. I hurried my exit and slammed the door behind me. Once I was outside, I sprinted down the hallway as if someone was chasing after me and located my quarters, or my new quarters. Before this incident, I'd been sleeping with Germany in his bed. There's nothing more than I miss than his bed right now. The soft mattress, the heat of Germany's body next to my own...I always felt safe and secure there.

Collapsing onto my 'new' mattress, I found myself staring at the ceiling for quite a period of time, thoughtless. Finally, there came a point where I couldn't keep my eyes open and my mind began to empty slowly. Sleep took me over and I fell under, dreamless and unpleasantly. Maybe some sleep would do me good after all. I really do need to clear my head...

(Please excuse Italy's slight out of character-ness, I wanted to try and incorporate a different side of him. Rate and Review?)


	2. Resemblance

I awoke in a shudder.

The moment I returned to my conscious self, I felt the sweat sticking to my skin and took notice to a parched feeling that had developed in my throat during sleep. In a complete panic, I threw the blanket from over me and jumped from the bed, racing out of the room and to the kitchen. When I finally poured myself a drink and gulped it down, I remembered how I had promised Germany earlier I'd check up on him. While my mind was still a little sore from my encounter with him before, I had promised to check on him and I was not one to ever break my promises. So, I started back down the hallway and towards Germany's room once again, taking small steps to prolong the walk. I did want to see him, but I was still nervous from the outcome of today's earlier meeting. Would he be angry with me for it?

When I finally came to the room, I noticed how his door was slightly ajar. I then remembered how earlier that when I'd left, I'd most definitely slammed the door shut in my attempt to leave quickly. _'He's been out of his room,'_ I concluded, bringing a finger to my chin. For a moment, I was proud of myself for this deduction. I wasn't usually so keen on picking up on the small details, and the fact I could remember this was nothing short of a miracle. I pushed the door slightly farther than its previous disposition, hoping to get a decent look at Germany before I interrupted his peace and quiet. Instead, I saw his limp figure face-down on the bed, snoring away soundly. I glanced at the alarm clock next to him. _2:08._ Had I really slept all the way through the day and into the middle of the night? To confirm this conclusion, I sulked into Germany's bedroom and stole a glance out his window only to find the starless, black sky staring back at me. Sighing, I turned back to the sleeping Germany and closed my eyes.

"I'm sorry for falling asleep, Germany." Why was I apologizing to him as if he was listening to me? Then again, most of the time Germany shrugged me off anyways. What was any different between now and all those other times? I took a seat on the opposite side of Germany's bed, the familiar material caving in under my weight. I was almost tempted to lay down with him, but I resisted the urge and instead chose to stare at the clock. A few minutes went by, and I suddenly found it becoming easier to think about the situation at hand. I really hadn't been able to think about it too much because I'd been so confused. Yet I found out, as I sat next to Germany, the thoughts became clear and came easier to me.

"Germany..." I whispered, almost wishing he could hear me right now. "I want, no, I need to tell you something."

What did I have to gain from this? Nothing. Germany wouldn't hear a single word I said, or would say anyways. So why was I so compelled to tell him what I wanted to tell him?

"You deserve to know this." I answered myself aloud, leaning back against the headboard and turning my body to face the blonde. "Yes, you definitely do, Germany."

Germany stirred slightly, almost scaring me have to death. He didn't wake, but he had turned in his sleep, leaving me an excellent view of his pale, sleeping face. I noticed how different he appeared when asleep. His face was calm and cool, and his breathe came easily and the exhale was just as peaceful. Maybe I'd never noticed it before, but he sure looked like he was happier in sleep than in real life. I don't think I've ever seen him with a smile on his face, as it was always filled with anger and annoyance. Even though he didn't wear one now, he looked much closer to one here then I think I've ever seen him before. "Are your dreams nice, Germany?" I asked almost unconsciously, the words escaping without my permission. "I bet they are. I wish I knew what you were dreaming of." My eyes traveled down his limp form, scanning over his blank tank top and sleeping shorts. His normal sleepwear, as I had come to recognize it. Nothing new, just the same old Germany I'd left here earlier. Suddenly remembering the pizza, my eyes trailed to the dresser where I'd left it this morning, happily realizing it had been consumed and the crust was left uneaten. That was enough to make me smile.

"Germany, did you know Holy Rome?" I almost brought my hands up to my lips. Did I just say it? The name wasn't foreign to my lips, but it hadn't been said in so long that the taste of it was almost unrecognizable. I didn't quite understand what was coming over me, speaking the name here and now. But I went with it without a second thought. "Of course you didn't, I know that. I wish you could have, maybe then you'd understand why."

If Germany was awake, he'd more than likely be confused with my words. So I elaborated just a little bit more, just because I knew he deserved the complete and total truth from me. Germany and I have always been close, from being allies to even being friends. He'd done so much for me: he'd attempted to train me, taken me into his home, put up with my annoyances for so long. And he'd caught my romantic interest as well. It wasn't fair to him if I didn't tell him the truth. Even if he was asleep, it was still him and he deserved to know it.

"Please, please don't think that I don't like you, Germany." I pleaded. "You just weren't first, that's all. Don't be mad at me, please. I don't like seeing you like this at all." Hopefully I wasn't being too obvious, but at the moment I wasn't sure it what way I felt for Germany anymore. Was it one-sided on his part? No, because there was a spark on my part that wasn't just a friendly feeling. "He was wonderful, Germany." I continued, closing my eyes to picture Holy Rome's face. Despite haven't seeing him for many, many years, the image was still perfect and fresh in my mind. That delicate blonde hair, always perfectly combed back beneath his hat, and that flawless skin. He'd been a masterpiece alright. Scanning over Germany, my eyes widened in realization. "Germany, you're like his twin, you know? Same eyes, same hair, it's a little weird...ha-ha..." I nervously laughed the subject off, awkwardly shuffling my feet off of the bed. My fingers danced around in my palms, trying to recover from what I'd said. True, they did share an uncanny resemblance. Almost identical. It was strange, really. I don't know how I hadn't recognized the strong resemblance between the two before, and why I didn't notice until now shocked me.

As my eyes began to grow heavy, I glanced over at the clock once more. _2:23 _it read in bold, red numbers. "Oh Germany, I'm really tired. I hope you won't mind if I sleep here tonight. Truly, I'm sorry for this, but I have no strength to get up." This statement was a little selfish. True, I'd slept through the whole day and still was tired, but I'd been so accustomed to his bed and I'd missed him so much...it just all came over me at once.

Yawning with over exaggerated emphasis, I laid down and sleepily reached for the blanket. My hands returned empty and cold. Confused, I sat up and scanned the bed for traces of the blanket. I hadn't noticed it before, but Germany's body had been absent of the blanket that I'd seen earlier. That's odd, as I found it extremely cold in this room, just as I had ever night before. Looking over the sides of the bed to investigate the possibility of it falling over, I found no trace of the missing object.

I didn't try to dwell on it too much, but as I laid back down and began to drift off, the cold spell seemed to just get worse. I found myself getting closer and closer to Germany, taking in his body heat. Every minute I moved an inch closer, hoping for more satisfaction. Eventually, I found myself pressed against him. His body was very warm, almost like a fire itself. I baked in the heat he emitted, savoring it, and the touch of him in general, every moment until I fell asleep. But a thought about that missing blanket nagged me at the back of my mind, showing no signs of letting up. It haunted me up until the very point of my second slumber. When I'd fallen asleep yesterday after visiting Germany, I remembered how I'd taken my blanket to the laundry room and forgotten it completely. I had no motivation to go and retrieve it, so I fell asleep without it.

So why had I woken up with a blanket on me?

(Thanks everyone for the reviews and all the favorites!~ Glad to hear everyone is liking it! Hopefully this chapter didn't disappoint. And as for a question I read, yes, my inspiration was the Buon San Valentino comics! But nothing more. I'm a relatively new Hetalia fan [and Gerita xD]), and I wanted to take a different approach to the relationship! Please review, your comments and criticism inspire my writing! )


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